Association Between Pet Ownership and the Sensitization to Pet Allergens in Adults With Various Allergic Diseases

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Abstract

Purpose

As pet ownership increases, sensitization to animal allergens due to domestic exposure is a concern. Sensitization to animal allergens may occur from indirect exposure, as well as direct ownership of animals. However, there have been conflicting results regarding the association between pet ownership and sensitization to animal allergens in adults.

Methods

In total, 401 patients with various allergic diseases were enrolled in this study. We performed skin prick tests with 55 common inhalant and food allergens, including dog, cat, and rabbit allergens. A mean wheal diameter of 3 mm or greater was considered a positive reaction. The exposure modality to each animal allergen was investigated using a questionnaire and included present ownership, past ownership, occupational exposure, occasional exposure, contact with pet owner, and no contact. Present ownership, past ownership, occupational, and occasional exposure were regarded as direct exposure.

Results

The sensitization rate for animal allergens was 20.4% for dog, 15.0% for cat, and 9.0% for rabbit. Direct exposure to dogs (72.0%) was significantly higher than that of other animals (18.4% for cats and 16.7% for rabbits), whereas 'no contact' with cats (78.3%) and rabbits (83.3%) was significantly higher than with dogs (26.8%; P<0.0001). Independent risk factors for sensitization to animal allergens were sensitization to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (OR=2.4, P=0.052), Dermatophagoides farinae (OR=5.1, P<0.001), cat (OR=4.4, P<0.0001), and direct exposure to dogs (OR=1.5, P=0.029) for dog, and sensitization to dog (OR=4.4, P<0.0001) and rabbit (OR=2.6, P=0.036) for cats. Finally, for rabbits, the independent risk factor was sensitization to Alternaria (OR=6.0, P<0.002).

Conclusions

These results suggest that direct exposure to dogs contributes to the sensitization to dog allergens in patients with allergic diseases, whereas indirect exposure to cats and rabbits may induce sensitization to each animal's allergen.

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Most cited references 27

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Exposure to dogs and cats in the first year of life and risk of allergic sensitization at 6 to 7 years of age.

Dennis R Ownby (2002)

Childhood asthma is strongly associated with allergic sensitization. Studies have suggested that animal exposure during infancy reduces subsequent allergic sensitization. To evaluate the relationship between dog and cat exposure in the first year of life and allergic sensitization at 6 to 7 years of age. Prospective birth cohort study of healthy, full-term infants enrolled in a health maintenance organization in suburban Detroit, Mich, who were born between April 15, 1987, and August 31, 1989, and followed up yearly to a mean age of 6.7 years. Of 835 children initially in the study at birth, 474 (57%) completed follow-up evaluations at age 6 to 7 years. Atopy, defined as any skin prick test positivity to 6 common aeroallergens (dust mites [Dermatophagoides farinae, D pteronyssinus], dog, cat, short ragweed [Ambrosia artemisiifolia], and blue grass [Poa pratensis]); seroatopy, defined as any positive allergen-specific IgE test result for the same 6 allergens or for Alternaria species. The prevalence of any skin prick test positivity (atopy) at age 6 to 7 years was 33.6% with no dog or cat exposure in the first year of life, 34.3% with exposure to 1 dog or cat, and 15.4% with exposure to 2 or more dogs or cats (P =.005). The prevalence of any positive allergen-specific IgE test result (seroatopy) was 38.5% with no dog or cat exposure, 41.2% with exposure to 1 dog or cat, and 17.9% with exposure to 2 or more dogs or cats (P =.003). After adjustment for cord serum IgE concentration, sex, older siblings, parental smoking, parental asthma, bedroom dust mite allergen levels at 2 years, and current dog and cat ownership, exposure to 2 or more dogs or cats in the first year of life was associated with a significantly lower risk of atopy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.60) and seroatopy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-0.83). Exposure to 2 or more dogs or cats in the first year of life may reduce subsequent risk of allergic sensitization to multiple allergens during childhood.

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Crystal structure of the dog lipocalin allergen Can f 2: implications for cross-reactivity to the cat allergen Fel d 4.

Chaithanya Madhurantakam, Ola Nilsson, Hannes Uchtenhagen … (2010)

The dog lipocalin allergen Can f 2 is an important cause of allergic sensitization in humans worldwide. Here, the first crystal structure of recombinant rCan f 2 at 1.45 A resolution displays a classical lipocalin fold with a conserved Gly-Xaa-Trp motif, in which Trp19 stabilizes the overall topology of the monomeric rCan f 2. Phe38 and Tyr84 localized on the L1 and L5 loops, respectively, control access to the highly hydrophobic calyx. Although the rCan f 2 calyx is nearly identical with the aero-allergens MUP1, Equ c 1 and A2U from mouse, horse and rat, respectively, no IgE cross-reactivity was found using sera from five mono-sensitized subjects. However, clear IgE cross-reactivity was demonstrated between Can f 2 and the cat allergen Fel d 4, although they share less than 22% sequence identity. This suggests a role for these allergens in co-sensitization between cat- and dog-allergic patients. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Pets and the development of allergic sensitization.

Adnan Custovic, Angela Simpson (2005)

Sensitization to pets remains a risk factor for asthma and rhinitis, and can occur in people who have never lived with a pet. Several reports have indicated that living with a pet reduces the risk for becoming sensitized to that pet. Having a pet in the home gives exposure to more than just allergens. In areas with high frequency of pet ownership, community exposure to pet allergens is almost certainly sufficient to induce sensitization among non-pet owners. In this review, we examine the results of recent studies that have investigated the relationship between pet ownership, specific sensitization to that pet, and allergic sensitization in general. For cat ownership, the results are inconsistent between studies of similar design, with some studies suggesting an increase in risk and others a decrease among cat owners. For dogs, results are more consistent, generally suggesting that owning a dog has no effect or indeed may be protective against the development of specific sensitization to dog and allergic sensitization in general.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Allergy Asthma Immunol Res

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Allergy Asthma Immunol Res

Journal ID (publisher-id): AAIR

Title: Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research

Publisher: The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology; The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease

ISSN (Print): 2092-7355

ISSN (Electronic): 2092-7363

Publication date (Print): September 2013

Publication date (Electronic): 25 June 2013

Volume: 5

Issue: 5

Pages: 295-300

Affiliations

Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.

Lung Research Institute of Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.

Author notes

Correspondence to: Jeong-Hee Choi, MD, PhD, Department of Pulmonology and Allergy, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital, 7 Keunjaebong-gil, Hwaseong 445-170, Korea. Tel: +82-31-8086-2928; Fax: +82-31-8086-2482; mdqueen@ 123456hallym.or.kr

Article

DOI: 10.4168/aair.2013.5.5.295

PMC ID: 3756176

PubMed ID: 24003386

SO-VID: bd3f686c-4a81-43e8-847a-c56fd7ef8e10

License:

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

History

Date received : 09 January 2013

Date revision received : 05 February 2013

Date accepted : 08 February 2013

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Association Between Pet Ownership and the Sensitization to Pet Allergens in Adults With Various Allergic Diseases

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Abstract

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Gamma Delta T cells

Most cited references 27

Exposure to dogs and cats in the first year of life and risk of allergic sensitization at 6 to 7 years of age.

Crystal structure of the dog lipocalin allergen Can f 2: implications for cross-reactivity to the cat allergen Fel d 4.

Pets and the development of allergic sensitization.

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